Best Grapplearts Podcasts (2024)

1
402 - A BJJ Concept to Help You Through the Tough Times in Life 7:36

6d ago7:36

7:36

There are times when it feels like life has you trapped on the bottom of mount against a vastly heavier, more experienced opponent intent on mauling you. The steps to deal with these two situations are the same. Pass this on to someone you think it might help, Stephan Kesting P.S. I made one little mistake in this podcast: Epictetus was a Greek (no…

1
401 - Modifying BJJ for Self Defense, with Rachel Honeyman 1:05:06

21d ago1:05:06

1:05:06

I really enjoyed talking with Rachel Honeyman about modifying BJJ for self defense, which techniques to focus on and which positions to avoid. Rachel has trained in BJJ, the Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai, and many other martial arts and runs https://www.fearlessfemmes.com/By Stephan Kesting

1
400 - How to Use Injuries to Actually Refine and Improve Your Jiu-Jitsu Game 42:04

1M ago42:04

42:04

Rob Biernacki is my guest today to talk about how injury and physical limitations have led to some of the fastest technical development of his career and the refinement of entirely new techniques like the Roadhouse Choke. Since some form of injury is inevitable there are a LOT of takeaways in this episode. We also discuss the concepts of risk vs re…

1
399 - Breathing for Endurance during Sparring in BJJ and Other Martial Arts 9:30

1M ago9:30

9:30

Many people completely run out of gas when they're sparring, and often this is because they are inadvertently holding their breath. In this short podcast I share four very specific ways that I've coached people past this problem and hugely improved their endurance. Please share this episode with someone you think it will help. Cheers, Stephan Kesti…

1
398 - Building the Skills to Do Amazing Things, with Matt Pycroft 1:10:19

1M ago1:10:19

1:10:19

From war-torn Africa to climbing remote peaks in Greenland with Alex Honnold, Matt Pycroft has built a very impressive career working as a journalist and filmmaker. In our conversation he goes into detail how he gradually acquired the skills to achieve his goals and the lessons he's learned working with extreme athletes in inhospitable settings all…

1
397 - How to Get Maximum Results in Minimum Time in Jiu-Jitsu 51:42

2M ago51:42

51:42

The traditional class structure of doing a warmup, learning a couple of new techniques, and followed by sparring is NOT an efficient way to learn jiu-jitsu. We can do much better if we use insights from research on coaching and learning. Today's guest is Cal MacDonald, a BJJ black belt and competitor who has dedicated himself to developing his teac…

1
396 - Longevity in Jiu-Jitsu with Mike "The Old Bastard" Mahaffey 1:08:19

2M ago1:08:19

1:08:19

In this episode I talk BJJ longevity, weight training, home gyms and training methods with BJJ old-timer Mike Mahaffey. I think there are a TON of valuable takehome lessons here for anyone who trains jiu-jitsu, and ESPECIALLY the over-40 crowd! Also check out BJJ Foundations, the brand new Grapplearts instructional that gives you the best jiu-jitsu…

1
395 - The English Roots of Catchwrestling, with Oz Austwick 1:12:20

2M ago1:12:20

1:12:20

Did you know that the England had many different wrestling systems including Cornish, Lancashire, Devonshire, Cumberland and Westmoreland wrestling and catchwrestling? In this conversation Oz Austwick and I go into the history of these arts including the influence of Japanese Judo and Jiu-Jitsu on English Wrestling... the great Billy Robinson and h…

1
394 - The Anatomy of a BJJ Training Camp 1:24:46

4M ago1:24:46

1:24:46

Rob Biernacki and his competition team are on a tear. Rob recently took gold in masters middleweight the Canadian ADCC Open, silver at the California ADCC Open, and gold in black belt M4 at the IBJJF No Gi Worlds. In this episode we talk about designing an effective training camp, dividing your conditioning and skills training, detaching emotionall…

1
393 - Historical Bareknuckle Boxing and European Swordfighting, with Oz Austwick 1:01:04

4M ago1:01:04

1:01:04

In episode 393 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk to Oz Austwick, who has extensively studied armed and unarmed combat systems in Europe. Topics we cover include the origins of boxing in England, historical training and conditioning methods, reconstructing and testing techniques shown in swordfighting manuals, fighting with live blades, the role …

1
392 - Everest, Alone, In Winter, and Without Oxygen, with Mountaineer Jost Kobusch 1:11:19

6M ago1:11:19

1:11:19

Today I pick the brain of the amazing Jost Kobusch is a German mountaineer who spent two seasons on Everest trying to ascend the legendarily difficult West Ridge route and the Hornbein Couloir alone. And did I mention that he wasn't using supplemental oxygen and attempting this in the middle of the brutal Himalayan winter? We covered a TON of inter…

1
391 - The Most Important Mental Models in BJJ, with Steve Kwan 1:10:56

6M ago1:10:56

1:10:56

Today I'm joined by Steve Kwan, the host and creator of the wildly popular BJJ Mental Models podcast. We discuss the most important mental models in the art and how they can improve your ability to perform on the mat! Check out https://www.bjjmentalmodels.com/ for Steve's podcast and https://www.grapplearts.com/rollingbacktakes for my newest BJJ in…

1
390 - UFOs, UAPs, and Alien Bodies with Skeptical Investigator Mick West 1:07:28

7M ago1:07:28

1:07:28

With eyewitness testimony in the US Congress and purported alien bodies being wheeled into the Mexican Congress, it looks like we're in another UFO craze right now. It was great to have science writer and sceptical investigator Mick West on the podcast to make sense of this evidence and evaluate what the odds are that aliens truly walk among us. Ch…

1
389 - How to Train for Strength, Endurance and Jiu-Jitsu Simultaneously, with World Record holder James Pieratt of Wild Hunt Conditioning 1:14:05

8M ago1:14:05

1:14:05

I caught up with world record holder James Pieratt shortly after he completed a 500-mile, self-supported mountain run along the Pacific Crest Trail. But James isn't just an ultrarunner - he's also a serious weightlifter who also trains in jiu-jitsu. In this interview we went deep into how to balance strength, endurance, and skill training, the role…

1
388 - The Ultimate Self Defense Championship with Rokas Leo 1:05:57

9M ago1:05:57

1:05:57

The Ultimate Self-Defense Championship was a competition in which six martial arts YouTubers competed against each other in seven self-defense challenges to find out what works, what doesn't and who would become the ultimate self-defense champion. The organizer of this event was Rokas Leo who trained Aikido for 14 years and eventually realised that…

1
387 - The Most Successful Gracie Fighter Of All Time, with Robert Drysdale 1:39:10

11M ago1:39:10

1:39:10

Not only is Robert Drysdale a BJJ and ADCC World Champion, he has also conducted extensive research into the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In this interview, he reveals some of what he's discovered, including... 01:54 - The first wave of jiu-jitsu in Brazil - Helio Gracie and Carlos Gracie 04:35 - Exhibition and carnival fighting in Brazil 06:55 …

1
386 - Seven Reasons Why Carlson Gracie Was The First Modern MMA Fighter 6:02

11M ago6:02

6:02

Carlson Gracie fought in 18 Vale Tudo matches, brought jiu-jitsu to the masses, and innovated many of the MMA training practices we now take for granted. He innovated many seemingly radical ideas at the time, like training without the gi, group classes, and being a well rounded fighter. These points come from Robert Drysdale's excellent book, The R…

1
385 - Grappling with the Implications of the 46 Million Dollar Lawsuit for Jiu-Jitsu, with Dan Lukeheart, Alex Kask and Stephan Kesting 2:12:18

12M ago2:12:18

2:12:18

The jiu-jitsu world was shaken recently when Jack Greener, severely injured in 2018 while sparring at a San Diego gym, was awarded $46,475,112 dollars by a jury. Rener Gracie testified for the plaintiff, and Clark Gracie testified for the defence. In this episode, I get together with Dan Lukeheart (Brea Jiu-Jitsu) and Alex Kask (Barrister and Solic…

1
384 - Neopagan Vegetarian Authoritarian Heavy Metal Nature Lovers with Jesse Bryant 1:24:07

1y ago1:24:07

1:24:07

Jesse Bryant is doing his PhD on the politics of nature, and has come across some amazing examples of both far left and far right groups wrapping themselves in the mantle of nature and what is deemed 'natural'. From the Artaman League to the Wolves of Vinland and Alex Jone's fantasies about moving back to the country sometimes what he's found is hi…

1
383 - Amanda Bruse on Storming the Medals Podium at No Gi Pans 57:58

1y ago57:58

57:58

Amanda Bruse took home Gold as a black belt in her weight division at No Gi Pans in 2022, and also a Silver in the open division facing much heavier opponents. She's also done amazingly well at ADCC Trials, No Gi Worlds, and is now competing in Combat Jiu-jitsu as well. It's remarkable that she's only been training for 6 years; clearly, she's doing…

1
382 - On Learning Jiu-Jitsu with 100% Live Training and No Formal Technical Instruction, with Greg Souders 1:11:00

1y ago1:11:00

1:11:00

To say that Greg Souders is a huge believer in drilling and gamification is actually an understatement; he believes that BJJ training methods have not kept up with the science of learning, and runs Standard Jiu-Jitsu in Rockville, Maryland without teaching any techniques. And black belt medalist students at the Pan Ams and the World Championships s…

1
381 - The Battle Against Disinformation and Information Nihilism, with Brooke Binowski 1:09:44

1+ y ago1:09:44

1:09:44

Brooke Binowski is a journalist specialising in debunking disinformation and misinformation. She has worked for Snopes and is now the managing editor at TruthOrFiction.com. In this episode we talk about Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, how disinformation campaigns are structured, white supremacists, why the wellness space is so prone to believing c…

1
380 - What Do You Need to Know to Be a BJJ Blue Belt? 27:49

1+ y ago27:49

27:49

BJJ black belt Elliott Bayev and I discuss the minimum knowledge set required to be a competent blue belt, including... The 8 basic positions in jiu-jitsu A 3 phase strategy for beating a bigger person The real purpose of the guard The 2 types of submissions The hierarchy of positions How to stay safe in bad positions...and what to do next. The imp…

1
379 - A Fascism Checklist, with Professor Daniele Bolleli 1:12:12

1+ y ago1:12:12

1:12:12

In episode 379 of The Strenuous Life Podcast I talk with podcaster, martial artist, and history professor Daniele Bolelli about the characteristics of fascism. This is a loaded topic for both of us, because both of our families lived in fascist states during World War 2 (mine in Germany, his in Italy). Which is why I almost went with an alternate t…

1
378 - The 5 Most Common BJJ and Judo Injuries and What to Do About Them, with Joshua Arellano, Pt 1:15:31

1+ y ago1:15:31

1:15:31

Joshua Arellano is a physiotherapist with a black belt in Judo and a brown belt in BJJ. He works with combat athletes on rehab, prehab, and injury prevention, and - since injury is the enemy of progress - I was thrilled to pick his brain on the podcast to help everyone have a healthier grappling career! 00:39 - Judo and jiu-jitsu damage on the body…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Grapplearts Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
The Strenuous Life Podcast with Stephan Kesting

Stephan Kesting

1
402 - A BJJ Concept to Help You Through the Tough Times in Life 7:36

1
401 - Modifying BJJ for Self Defense, with Rachel Honeyman 1:05:06

1
400 - How to Use Injuries to Actually Refine and Improve Your Jiu-Jitsu Game 42:04

1
399 - Breathing for Endurance during Sparring in BJJ and Other Martial Arts 9:30

1
398 - Building the Skills to Do Amazing Things, with Matt Pycroft 1:10:19

1
397 - How to Get Maximum Results in Minimum Time in Jiu-Jitsu 51:42

1
396 - Longevity in Jiu-Jitsu with Mike "The Old Bastard" Mahaffey 1:08:19

1
395 - The English Roots of Catchwrestling, with Oz Austwick 1:12:20

1
394 - The Anatomy of a BJJ Training Camp 1:24:46

1
393 - Historical Bareknuckle Boxing and European Swordfighting, with Oz Austwick 1:01:04

1
392 - Everest, Alone, In Winter, and Without Oxygen, with Mountaineer Jost Kobusch 1:11:19

1
391 - The Most Important Mental Models in BJJ, with Steve Kwan 1:10:56

1
390 - UFOs, UAPs, and Alien Bodies with Skeptical Investigator Mick West 1:07:28

1
389 - How to Train for Strength, Endurance and Jiu-Jitsu Simultaneously, with World Record holder James Pieratt of Wild Hunt Conditioning 1:14:05

1
388 - The Ultimate Self Defense Championship with Rokas Leo 1:05:57

1
387 - The Most Successful Gracie Fighter Of All Time, with Robert Drysdale 1:39:10

1
386 - Seven Reasons Why Carlson Gracie Was The First Modern MMA Fighter 6:02

1
385 - Grappling with the Implications of the 46 Million Dollar Lawsuit for Jiu-Jitsu, with Dan Lukeheart, Alex Kask and Stephan Kesting 2:12:18

1
384 - Neopagan Vegetarian Authoritarian Heavy Metal Nature Lovers with Jesse Bryant 1:24:07

1
383 - Amanda Bruse on Storming the Medals Podium at No Gi Pans 57:58

1
382 - On Learning Jiu-Jitsu with 100% Live Training and No Formal Technical Instruction, with Greg Souders 1:11:00

1
381 - The Battle Against Disinformation and Information Nihilism, with Brooke Binowski 1:09:44

1
380 - What Do You Need to Know to Be a BJJ Blue Belt? 27:49

1
379 - A Fascism Checklist, with Professor Daniele Bolleli 1:12:12

1
378 - The 5 Most Common BJJ and Judo Injuries and What to Do About Them, with Joshua Arellano, Pt 1:15:31

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